Right Fasting: Battling the Demonic
One day a man brought his
son to Jesus’ disciples for them to cast a demon out of the boy. The frantic
father told them, “Often the demon throws the boy into the river to drown him
or fire to drown him!” But try as
they might, they could not free the boy from the powerful hold the demon had
over the boy!
Jesus, seeing the crowd
and hearing their anger at His disciples approached them, dealt with the demon
and the boy, now free from the demon went home with his father. Jesus’ disciples came to Him privately
and asked, “Why could we not cast him out?” Jesus’ response, “Because of your unbelief. Howbeit, this
kind (of demon) will come out by nothing but by prayer and fasting!” See it! There are times when prayer alone doesn’t do the job! This is when the gift of fasting comes
in!
A few months ago, I awoke to a powerful,
demonic attack; one of the worse I have ever known. It was a heavy oppression,
seeking to suffocate my joy in the Lord.
This went on for days, and days into weeks. I cried out to God, I examined my life! I fed on Scriptures and surrounded
myself with prayer partners.
I am sure it
all helped, but the demonic presence remained. The best way to describe it was
a heavy oppression. My mind was
under constant attack! Day after
day I stayed before the Lord for His deliverance. I used the Word against the
mental attacks and spoke the Word. I prayed the Word! You cannot give in-you must fight! You are promised victory, but victory comes after you
battle!
Then one day it dawned on me, it had been seven days since
last time I had eaten! The next day
some family came in town and asked us out to dinner. Just before the waitress
came my wife looked at me and asked, “Are you going to eat or are you going to
fast until you get a breakthrough?”
Strangely, we had not discussed that I was fasting. I heard in her words the Voice of the
Holy Spirit asking the same question, “Are you going to fast until you get a
breakthrough?” I responded,
“Until I get a breakthrough!”
On the
tenth day I awoke to the light of the sun through my bedroom windows. “Oh no,’
I thought, ‘it’s 7am. I’ve overslept!”
But then an acute awareness of peace filled the room! I realized the demonic oppressor was
gone! The demonic presence had
been broken! Isaiah 58 filled my
thoughts, “…then shall your light break forth as the noon day!” I knew, “God had done great things for
my soul!” Right fasting is a
powerful gift of God!
Right
Fasting is about breakthrough! It
is about breaking the demonic control of your flesh and mind. It is about
breaking through Satan’s deception about faith, finances and God’s future for
you “so others may live!”
As
you fast, ask the Holy Spirit to help you be honest to yourself and to Him in
all the areas in your life that are not totally given to Him. Sometimes we find
ourselves either ignoring or making excuses why we are not obedient to Him in
every area of life. These all
become weapons the enemy uses against us.
That’s right, he uses us against us! Make a list of these and pray over them each day asking Him
to “open the eyes of your understanding.”
You cannot overcome Satan’s lies on your
own! You need the Holy Spirit to
reveal His truth to you! God’s
Word is Truth! Read a chapter each
day from the Gospel of John and as you do so, ask, “How does this apply to
me? What is the Holy Spirit
speaking to me through this chapter?
What do I need to do with what God has shown me?”
Remember what Jesus told us, “I am come that you might have
life…” He came-He gave up His life
in Heaven and on earth “so others may live!” So you may live!
Will you give up your life, as He did, so others may live? You will never regret it!
Pray this prayer with me. “Father, I want to walk with You and to
give my life for You to use as You will.
It is so hard for me to let go and trust You. I know it is the right
thing to do. Holy Spirit, fill me
with Your Spirit and with all might in my inner man that I might know with all
God’s people the hope and assurance of walking and being led by your Holy
Spirit each moment of every day. In Jesus Name, Amen!”
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